Variable-volume bellows bottle

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a variable-volume bottle made from PET and having an elastically deformable and plastic-deformation-resistant bellows structure, which allows the volume of the bottle to be adjusted according to the degree to which the peripheral annular folds are folded. The invention comprises one or more sectors without peripheral annular folds, intended for identification labels.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The idea consists of the manufacture of a bottle, large bottle or large can and/or any other kind of bellows-shaped container. Through this shape, the loss of pressure in the gas fluid contained is compensated, reducing or eliminating the air chamber that is formed as it is consumed.

It is also the object of the invention that the bellows-shaped container adjusts during content consumption to the volume of the remaining liquid in order to avoid that there is a volume of air within the same which could affect the organoleptic characteristics of the contained product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Within the scope of practical application of the invention, for bottle-type containers obtained from recyclable materials, a wide variety of bottles of this type are known, structured according to very different design lines, having as a fundamental problem the fact that once its content is consumed, they have a high volumetric occupation, which makes recycling them expensive, because it is necessary to have a considerably large space to accommodate said containers.

In an attempt to avoid these problems, is known the inclusion in this type of bottles of a series of perimeter indentations with irregular configuration that allow to carry out the crushing of the container, once its content has been consumed, which maneuver is not easy for elderly people or that have little strength.

The current bottles once opened have a constant loss of the gas contained in the liquid, determined by the number of openings that the bottle has and the air chamber remaining in the same. This air chamber is the one that causes the gas in the liquid to emigrate to that camera until compensating pressures. If the air chamber did not exist, every time we shut down the bottle the gas from the liquid could not emigrate anywhere. PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) perfectly fulfills the functions for which it was created.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The Variable-volume bellows bottle container proposed by the invention solves in a fully satisfactory manner the problems previously exposed in all and each of the discussed aspects. It also provides other benefits to the environment.

For this, and more concretely, the preconized bottle will be obtained from PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate), PVC and/or any other product from the plastics industry, from petroleum derivatives or from degradable sugars and/or bellows-type deformed metal or feasible alloy, as well as combinations of metals and plastics in adhesion or not.

Shape of the container

Cylindrical, conical triangular or any polygonal form in the cubic system and/or cylindrical polygonal in the cubic system of curved or angled edge.

System

Symmetric bellows, symmetric or asymmetric flake, spiral bellows and/or any other kind of bellows that meets the specifications for the use which is determined.

Shape of the planes of the bellows

Circular, ellipse, triangular, rectangular, or any regular or irregular polygonal form with curved or angled edge, as well as those resulting from cross sections of conics or figure of revolution and those formed by polar functions or equations and/or the combination of 2 or more of the aforementioned. Among the planes there are nerves or ribs that fulfill the function of tensors.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being carried out and with the object of helping to a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of practical embodiment of the same, is attached as an integral part of said description, a set of drawings where with illustrative and not limiting character, the following has been represented:

FIG. 1.—Shows a side elevational view of a variable volume container made in accordance with the object of the invention, in which it appears in operating situation, or maximum volume.

FIG. 2.—Shows a view similar to that of FIG. 1, but in which the container appears folded, in a minimum volumetric occupation arrangement.

FIG. 3—Shows a plant view of the device of the previous figure.

FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION WITH ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

Function

From the moment of opening and up to the total consumption of product, passing through several cycles of opening and closing of the container the product suffers the consequences of the loss of pressure of the gas contained in the liquid, since this tries to level the pressure of the air chamber that is formed in the container as it is consumed. The pressure difference which is an average of 6 atmospheres at the opening decreases to 0.5/1 atmospheres depending on the number of openings and closings, as well as on the elapsed time or the volume of the air chamber formed in each closing.

The bellows container allows us as it is used to remove the air chamber formed by reducing the total volume of the container. In the absence of air chamber, the gas contained in the liquid does not spread, it cannot compensate for internal tension of the gas. While the liquid will not have the gas at the opening pressure, it will not reach such low levels where the product has to be disposed of.

Application

It will be used with container for alcoholic or non-alcoholic soft drinks, which are previously gasified or are naturally gasified, as well as for all types of gasified or non-gasified liquids, for use in the manufacture of chemicals, agrochemicals or industry in general.

Functional Utility

A classic 2 thousand cubic centimeters container does not lose its form and/or its volume once used with the consequent increased cost in dry-weather flow and waste transport. The bellows container decreases from 2 thousand cubic centimeters to 500 cubic centimeters, with consequent savings of 75 percent, over the original size.

FIG. 4.—Determines the area of the label of 42.5 mm variable to the type of product and/or design. The length plane of the label has 1 mm sine-shaped undulations to increase rigidity as if it were flat it would be weaker to the pressure of the gas.

FIG. 5

5.1 The major plane A of each bellows with a diameter of 110 mm with a curved edge B with radius of 1-4 millimeters (1 millimeter in the drawing)

5.2 The minor plane C of each bellows with a diameter of 60 mm with reverse curve edge D with radius of 0.5 mm.

5.3 Junction plane between bellows E (hypotenuse) of 25 mm and the angle of inclination F of 21° 30″ (which vary according to the radius of the angular edge B of 1-4 mm).

5.4 Other 3 Sections are distinguished: The tip G for threaded lid, the base H (both standard), and the area for the labels L

5.5 The bottle is newly open and has a maximum fill level N₀.

FIG. 6.—Shows the partially empty bottle with a level N₁ and the formation of an air chamber CA, with a N₀N₁ height. If we would close the bottle we would be in the standard system; and the gas dissolved in the liquid which at that moment is between 5-6 atmospheres would begin to escape from the liquid to the air chamber containing one atmosphere, trying to level pressures.

Assuming that the air chamber is 25 percent of the volume, the pressure of the gas in the liquid would be reduced to 4 atmospheres.

In a second emptying of 25 percent the pressure in the liquid would be 2.5 atmospheres.

In a third emptying of 25 percent the pressure in the liquid would be 1.2 atmospheres, so we would be pouring that surplus already without gas.

FIG. 7.—Shows the bottle to which a slight pressure with the hand has been applied on the neck cone P zone. The bellows collapse until eliminating the air chamber CA and return to the initial level N₀.

FIG. 8.—The bottle is closed with its standard Threaded lid T, and thus return to the initial state of FIG. 1.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above-described figures it can be seen how the container or bottle of the invention is made from a tubular body (FIG. 1), which as any standard bottle has the bottom closed (FIG. 1.2), while its upper end has a neck or strangulation (FIG. 1.3) finished in a mouthpiece (FIG. 1.4), equipped with an external thread (FIG. 1.5) over which the corresponding closure plug (T) is adapted, depicted in FIGS. 5 and 8.

Well, from this standard structure, the invention focuses its characteristics in the fact that the tubular body (FIG. 5) is affected mostly by a plurality of peripheral annular folds (FIGS. 5 and 6) that confer to the tubular structure of said body a bellows-type, elastically deformable configuration, which in its deformation does not suffer any kind of plastic deformation, such that it can be carried from the position of FIG. 1 to the position of FIG. 2 without the container being structurally affected, as well as to any intermediate position, depending on the volume of liquid contained within it,

Finally, it should be noted that, as it can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bottle can have one or more sectors (7) that are not affected by the annular folds (6), such that they constitute formal and dimensionally suitable surfaces to receive on them the corresponding label of the product to be contained. 

1-9. (canceled)
 10. A variable volume container, made from plastics, for food consumption, comprising: a tubular body having a closed bottom, an upper end having a neck with a mouthpiece, over which a closure plug is adapted; the tubular body having a plurality of peripheral annular folds that are a bellows-type, elastically deformable and plastic-deformation-resistant configuration, and allow a regulation of the volume of the container based on the degree to which the peripheral annular folds are folded.
 11. The container of claim 10, wherein the tubular body has one or more sectors that are not affected by the peripheral annular folds, the sectors constituent formal and dimensionally suitable surfaces to receive an identifying label of the product to be contained.
 12. The container of claim 10, wherein the tubular body is cylindrical, conical triangular or a polygonal form in the cubic system and/or cylindrical polygonal in the cubic system of curved or angled edge.
 13. The container of claim 10, wherein the bellows-type annular folds are symmetric bellows, symmetric or asymmetric flake, spiral bellows.
 14. The container of claim 10, wherein the configuration of the below-type annular folds are circular, ellipse, triangular, rectangular, or any regular or irregular polygonal form with curved or angled edge, as well as those resulting from cross sections of conics or figure of revolution and those formed by polar functions or equations and/or the combination of 2 or more of the aforementioned.
 15. The container of claim 10, wherein the length of the plane of the bellows ranges between 0.5 cm and 3.5 cm.
 16. The container of claim 10, wherein the angle of inclination of the bellows ranges from 10 degrees to 45 degrees.
 17. The container of claim 10, wherein there are three points of the body of the bottle, at 120 degrees of separation and attached to the base of the bottle 3 pivots with sealing closure that are introduced in notches of the major planes of the bottle, also at 120 degrees.
 18. The container of claim 10, wherein the volume of the container is variable between 100 cm³ and 5 thousand cm³.
 19. The container of claim 15, wherein the length of the plane of the bellows is 2.5 cm.
 20. The container of claim 16, wherein the angle of inclination of the bellows is 21 degrees 30 minutes. 